A huge thank you to everyone we met at the #FestivalOfEducation this week! 🎪💜 It was great to share some of our latest research, hear your perspectives and have so many thoughtful conversations about the opportunities and challenges facing education.

@jackworth.bsky.social, our Education Workforce Lead, responds to today's teacher pay announcement. Read Jack's comments on the announcement 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/press-releas...

📍 We're at the Festival of Education 2026! Hear our Senior Research Manager, Matthew Walker present our latest SEND research (Thursday 2 July, 4–4:45pm), then visit the NFER stand to chat with our team and learn more about our research and NFER Assessments. 💜 #FestivalofEducation #NFER

Our Co-Head of Policy and Practice, Jude Hillary, has responded to today's proposals from Andy Burnham MP on education and youth employment. Read the full statement 👉 www.nfer.ac.uk/press-releas...

Stay informed with the latest education research, insights and resources. 📩 Our latest newsletter has information on pupil wellbeing and attendance, teacher workforce trends, international research and more. Read the June roundup and subscribe for future updates 👇 r1.ddlnk.net/t/cr/AQiltBU...

Teacher recruitment and retention are improving, but challenges remain across the school workforce. @jackworth.bsky.social explores what's driving recent progress, why support staff need greater attention, and what school leaders can do to help retain staff. 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/workfo...

📉 Pupil numbers are projected to keep falling over the coming years. What could this mean for schools, pupils and policymakers? Our latest analysis explores the challenges ahead and sets out recommendations to help mitigate the risks. Read more 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/the-wi...

Falling primary pupil numbers are hitting disadvantaged #schools hardest, new analysis from @thenfer.bsky.social warns. With rolls set to drop further by 2030, leaders face growing funding pressures & tough decisions on staffing & provision: buff.ly/D9mf6tQ #education #edusky

Our Co-Head of Policy and Practice, Dr Ben Styles, will be presenting on ways AI can streamline planning, administration and assessment at the Westminster Insight Conference today. He will be drawing on research from our research into ChatGPT in lesson preparation: www.nfer.ac.uk/publications...

"We should not underestimate the significance of such rigorous evidence in the EdTech space." Dr Ben Styles, our head of Teaching and Learning research, responds to our new research into the @mathswhizz.bsky.social Intelligent Tutoring Programme, involving 63 schools and 10,369 pupils. [1/2]

Our Research Director, Jenna Julius, will be giving evidence to the Public Services Committee at the @houseoflords.parliament.uk tomorrow on falling primary school rolls. 🗣️ ⏲️ 11:00am - 12:00pm 🔗 Find out more and watch the session 👇 committees.parliament.uk/event/26935/...

Falling pupil numbers aren't affecting all schools equally. 📉 Our latest analysis shows disadvantaged primary schools have experienced the largest falls in pupil numbers, raising concerns about funding pressures and widening inequalities. Read more 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/the-wi...

Our Research Director, Jenna Julius, will be giving evidence to the Public Services Committee at the @houseoflords.parliament.uk tomorrow on falling primary school rolls. 🗣️ ⏲️ 11:00am - 12:00pm 🔗 Find out more and watch the session 👇 committees.parliament.uk/event/26935/...

Do we have more #teachers? The latest DfE workforce data suggests progress, but the reality is complex. @jackworth.bsky.social outlines 5 metrics that reveal ongoing challenges including rising class sizes & non-specialist #teaching: buff.ly/SG8eant #schools #education @thenfer.bsky.social

Our Researcher Geeta Gambhir is presenting at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Annual International Conference on equity and inclusion in education, sharing insights from our work with Education Out Loud (EOL). 📅 26 June 📍 Leeds Beckett University www.nfer.ac.uk/events/briti...

4,654 more teachers above the Government’s baseline target. A welcoming stat, but not the full story. Our new blog explores five key indicators of teacher supply and what they show. Progress is being made, but challenges remain. Read more 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/headli...

Our Research Director Luke Bocock was pleased to contribute to the 2026 @voice21oracy.bsky.social edition of The Talking Point on why oracy skills are increasingly vital for employability. You can read Luke's article and the full edition of The Talking Point below 👇

📢 How much can school belonging improve attendance? NFER researchers examine the relationship between school belonging, wellbeing and attendance. Read the blog👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/school... #EducationResearch #EducationInsights #NFER

📢 The latest teacher workforce statistics show there are 4,654 more teachers above the Government’s 2023/24 baseline target. But what sits beneath the figures? @jackworth.bsky.social explores five key metrics that help build a fuller picture of teacher supply. 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/headli...

Do we have more #teachers? The latest DfE workforce data suggests progress, but the reality is complex. @jackworth.bsky.social outlines 5 metrics that reveal ongoing challenges including rising class sizes & non-specialist #teaching: buff.ly/SG8eant #schools #education @thenfer.bsky.social

Our new research has examined the relationships between life satisfaction, school belonging and absence rates among 15-year-olds in England. The report calls on the Government to take the four steps outlined below 👇 [1/2]

Boost girls’ wellbeing to cut absence, advises @thenfer.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new... @ktorm-social1.bsky.social @tesmagazine.bsky.social

Research from @thenfer.bsky.social finds a link between low life-satisfaction & higher pupil absence from #schools. But improving life-satisfaction or #belonging alone won’t solve the issue – wider #wellbeing, #mentalhealth support & family factors are key: buff.ly/hry8NzA #education #edusky

We have issued three statements in response to new data released by the Department for Education today, which looks at schools, pupils and characteristics data, as well as new school census data. Read all three responses in-full 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/press-releas...

🗣️ “Focusing on sense of belonging alone is unlikely to fully solve the attendance crisis." Senior Research Manager Dr Emma Moore has commented on our new research, which looks to help inform solutions for tackling the attendance crisis. 👇 [1/2]

Research from @thenfer.bsky.social finds a link between low life-satisfaction & higher pupil absence from #schools. But improving life-satisfaction or #belonging alone won’t solve the issue – wider #wellbeing, #mentalhealth support & family factors are key: buff.ly/hry8NzA #education #edusky

🆕 Low life satisfaction more strongly associated with school absence for girls than boys 🏫 Our new research shows that lower life satisfaction among pupils in England is associated with higher school absences, with stronger links seen among girls and persistently absent pupils. 👇 bit.ly/4dMjvII

Despite considerable efforts from schools and the Government to get pupils back to school, absence rates in England remain above pre-pandemic levels. The issue is especially apparent in secondary schools where the average absence rate was 8.4% in 2024-25 compared with 5.5% in 2018-19. [1/2]

The latest edition of NFER Direct has been sent to inboxes today. 📨 The May edition features further information on our latest SEND research, the impact of post-16 subject choice availability and the latest on teacher supply. Read it here 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/news-events/...

“We welcome that the report highlights the need for more joined-up support to help young people successfully transition into education and employment." Our Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice, Jude Hillary, responds to Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work Review 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/press-releas...

What does the new DfE data on Further Education (FE) teacher show? Our Senior Economist Michael Scott has written a new blog looking into data released by the Department for Education on FE teachers. ✍ Read the full blog 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/blogs/fe-tea...

Our new research shows that increasing proportions of pupils with SEND are becoming concentrated in a small number of mainstream schools in England, placing growing pressure on those schools and raising questions about fairness across the system. We call on policymakers and system leaders to:

Increasing proportions of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are becoming concentrated in a small number of schools in England, according to our new research funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org. [1/2]

Pupils with SEND are being concentrated into those mainstream schools with a good reputation for inclusion – and this isn’t sustainable, warns the lead researcher of a new @thenfer.bsky.social study

🗣️ “If we want a genuinely inclusive system, responsibility for SEND cannot rest with a few schools. It has to be something every school is expected – and supported – to do.” Matt Walker responds to our new research on the distribution of and provision for SEND pupils in mainstream schools. 👇[1/2]

The DfE needs to monitor the distribution of pupils with SEND across schools because some are facing ‘unsustainable’ pressure while others are not developing their inclusive practice, says @thenfer.bsky.social research

Ministers’ ambition to meet the needs of more pupils in their local mainstream school won’t be met while pupils with SEND continue to be clustered 'in a subset of settings', an @thenfer.bsky.social report has warned schoolsweek.co.uk/clustering-o...

🆕 Government SEND plans ‘at risk’ as pupils requiring support are increasingly concentrated in a minority of schools 🧒🏫 Learn more about our latest @nuffieldfoundation.org funded research, which explores how and why this is happening 👇 www.nfer.ac.uk/press-releas...

We previously published an interim report highlighting the uneven distribution of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across mainstream schools in England. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4ti20oY [1/3] 🧵

In the latest edition of @teachprimarymag.bsky.social, our Senior Economist, Michael Scott, has written an article about our recently completed programme of Education Workforce research. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4uOXSNf

Our latest research on the further education sector has found that young people’s access to post-16 subjects in England is limited by where they live. The research shows many students are unable to study their preferred subjects due to gaps in local provision. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4tzaM0Z

Our Chief Executive, Carole Willis, has given her reaction to the announcement of SEND system reforms in today's King's Speech. Read the full response 👉 bit.ly/4fkheW1

Today, @edgeuk.bsky.social have published their latest Skills Shortage Bulletin, which includes a summary of our recently completed Skills Imperative 2035 research programme that explored what the labour market will look like in just under a decade's time. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4eDvDwk

🗣️ "Sometimes, a young person’s choices at 16 are shaped not just by their interests or ambitions, but by what happens to be available locally." Research Director, Luke Bocock, has shared his thoughts on our new research into competition & cooperation in the FE sector. 👇 Learn more 👉 bit.ly/4tzaM0Z

🆕 Post-16 subject choice in England restricted by postcode as fragmented education system limits opportunities for students. Learn more about our new research with @aoc-info.bsky.social, which explores subject choice & delivery efficiency in post-16 education. 👇 https://bit.ly/4tzaM0Z

Post-16 education policy in England has tended to emphasise the benefits of competition between providers, with suggestions that it can drive up quality, efficiency & responsiveness. However, the government has also acknowledged that too many small providers in one area can create challenges. [1/2]

If you're at the School & Academies Show today, come and say hi to our friendly @nferclassroom.bsky.social team at stand I9! 👋

📰 We're delighted to announce that we've been shortlisted for the Primary – Outstanding Assessment Resource award at the #BESA Awards 2026. Thank you to our brilliant colleagues and to the schools and teachers who work with us and help shape what we do every day! 🏫👩‍🏫

As a result of last week's changes to the initial teacher training recruitment targets, our latest recruitment forecast for 2026/27 shows only five or six secondary subjects to be below target, and primary recruitment exceeding its target by around three quarters. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/48AeqA1

Last week, the postgraduate trainee teacher recruitment targets for 2026/27 were reduced by 28% for primary and 21% for secondary. Our Education Workforce Lead, @jackworth.bsky.social, discusses what this means for teacher supply. Read the blog 👉 bit.ly/48AeqA1